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Iowa Interstate Power

Iowa Interstate's Iowa City yard was visible from my college apartment for three years, which inspired me to model the RR, including a pair of HO GP38s (from Athearn GP38-2s) I finished back in 1990. With the release of the Intermountain GP10s I decided to update those GP38s with DCC and better lighting while finishing the GP10s so I could weather everything at the same time.

GP10 451 & 484
- cut loops off of cut levers, touched up cut area with yellow paint
- added DA small Sinclair antennas painted aluminum
- added DW -364 speed recorder painted black
- removed ditch lights and filled holes on 484, painted finished area black
- removed stock can antenna (too large) and replaced it with DA part, painted black
- installed drop steps in down position
- removed stock windshield wipers and replaced them with A-Line parts, painted black
- replaced stock couplers with Kadee 58s painted Model Master Leather and dry brushed with a dark brown

GP38 601 & 602
- these started as Athearn blue box GP38-2s, so removed cab overhang, filled water sight glass on long hood and changed sideframes to Blomberg-Bs.
- these were originally completed in 1990 and I wanted to bring them up-to-date with DCC and working lights (originally completed with MV lenses)
- parts added originally: DA MU Hoses, DW -190 air horn, DW -157 Firecracker antenna, eye bolts, grab irons, DW spark arrestors, custom made MU stands, DA cab sunshades (hinged with eye bolts so they operate), DW fuel fillers, DA fuel sight gauges, DW air filters, DA underframe bell, Cannon & Co. angled paper air filter box
- I added DW -364 speed recorders as part of the update

Weathering
- all clear items were masked (lights, windows, numberboards) – with masking removed at the end of weathering
- I sprayed the roofs with an acrylic flat black that is the equivalent of a weathered black, then spot sprayed areas of the underframe, pilot, trucks and fuel tank
- I then dusted the walkways and top of the noses with light gray, then medium gray weathering chalks, then dullcoated to seal the effects
- Using the light gray I went over areas of the trucks – some sideframes were dusted completely, some had only portions done
- I created a semi-gloss “oily black” and sprayed around the spark arrestors
- I then airbrushed Model Master Skin Tone Dark Tint on the pilots, ends of the fuel tanks and at various point around the rest of the area below the walkway to simulate mud and dirt
- Next up was airbrushing Model Master light gray sparingly to create highlights and blend some of the other weathering
- I used a light sand color chalk to create the effects of freshly spilled sand on one of the GP38s by the rear sand fill
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alasgw27-Jul-2020 02:07
IAIS 900
Complicated one here: picked this up on ebay over 10 years ago. It is a white metal cab and low nose conversion of an Atlas shell. It was already painted and decaled, with some weathering but needed wiring inside, some detail corrections and additions, plus some repainting of areas that were incorrect. Added lift rings, horn, bell, mu stands, drop steps, some more grabs irons on nose and rear end, and glass. Weathering is airbrush and powders.
alasgw27-Jul-2020 02:06
IAIS 300
Athearn Genesis Iowa Interstate GP9 300 ... part of their "Grime" line, but still needed more. The unit is modeled as it appeared in the very early '90s.

- replaced couplers with Kadee -158 airbrushed Model Master leather and drybrushed with a dark brown. Pins are painted flat black.
- used very fine sandpaper to rub most of the sparse “IOWA INTERSTATE” lettering off of both sides
- masked off louver on engineer’s side battery box and stipled burnt sienna on and below onto sill. After that dried applied a black wash on and below onto sill. Remove mask.
- masked off louver on conductor’s side battery box and applied a black wash on and below onto sill. Remove mask.
- apply black wash sparingly to bottom of various hood doors using prototype photos
- using prototype photos applied various dabs of burnt sienna on both sides of the long hood. After that dried applied steel gray in various areas
- lightly applied black wash to various areas of sill using prototype photos
- masked windows, headlights and numberboards and applied MM flat lacquer to entire unit.
- use AIM light gray weathering powder on walkways below hood ends to simulate sand spill, then very lightly applied that same powder around sand filler covers and to hatches.
- masked the area between bottom of conductor’s side battery box and sill (very thin slit) and applied light gray powder to simulate battery alkali leak. Remove mask.
- use AIM black weathering powder on all horizontal walkways and steps. I also rub it up on entry doors and areas above steps to simulate getting kicked by boots, etc.
- I then used the black powder along the sides of the unit on the sill, applying varying densities of the powder to enhance the previously applied black wash and also to make none of the gray sill/red band ‘clean’
- move to the roof and apply diesel exhaust – I use a mix of black and dark brown paint at a ratio of about 12:1
- moving to underframe I applied AIM medium brown to the front half of the truck sideframe underneath the front battery box louver on engineer’s side, then applied a very small amount of black and then mixed the two together.
- Then take AIM dark gray and apply liberally to the other three sideframes and lightly to the front engineer’s sideframe. Also apply in downward streaks on portions of the fuel tank.
- Apply MM flat lacquer to entire unit.
- Airbrush a medium/dark brown on the pilots to simulate mud/dirt kicked up by rail wheels. Also apply underneath loco to air tanks and fuel tank ends.
- I then took that same mix and from a distance to the loco (6-8”) applied an overall coverage all around the unit horizontally, avoiding the roof. Depending on type of paint you use rub the corners of the long and high hood to simulate the brushing of clothing against those corners so that they are free of weathering.
- return to the pilots and use AIM white with a stiff bristle brush to apply small dots of it, then apply AIM dark gray lightly to MU stands and upper portions of pilots.
- Apply MM flat lacquer to entire unit.
- remove masking on windows and headlights
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